Palembang City

Palembang is the capital city of South Sumatra Province in Indonesia. Palembang is one of the oldest cities in Indonesia with a lot of history as a capital of a maritime empire. Located on the Musi River banks on the east coast of southern Sumatra island, it has an area of 400.61 square kilometres and a population of 1,441,500. Palembang is the second-largest city in Sumatra after Medan and the seventh-largest city in Indonesia. The city will host the 26th edition of Southeast Asian Games on November 11, 2011 along with Jakarta.
It was formerly the capital city of the Kingdom of Srivijaya, a powerful Malay kingdom, which influenced much of Southeast Asia.[1] The earliest evidence of its existence dates from the 7th century; a Chinese monk, I-Tsing, wrote that he visited Srivijaya in 671 for 6 months.[2][3] The first inscription in which the name Srivijaya appears also dates from the 7th century, namely the Kedukan Bukit Inscription around Palembang in Sumatra, dated 683.
Palembang landmarks include the Ampera bridge and the Musi River which divides the city into two, Seberang Ilir to the north and Seberang Ulu to the south. The Seberang Ilir is the economic and cultural centre and the Seberang Ulu is the political centre.

Transportation

Palembang residents use a network of city mini-bus routes for the main form of public transport.
There are also traditional and speed boats that serve the people who live near the riverside. The traditional boat is called the Ketek/sampan.
The city is served by Sultan Mahmud Badaruddin II Airport which has scheduled flights to many cities in Indonesia and also to Singapore by Silk Air and Malaysia by Sriwijaya Air. The latter destination being only recently offered by the airport since it has been upgraded to an international airport. This airport also serves other cities around South Sumatra Province.
The Boom Baru Harbor is the main harbor of Palembang, it is located and also connected Palembang with Bangka-Belitung Islands Province.
Palembang also has three main harbors, Boom Baru Harbor (which is the main harbor of Palembang, located on the north shore of Musi River), 36 Ilir Harbor, and Tanjung Api-api Harbor. From here frequent ferries connect Palembang to Muntok Harbor in Bangka Island, Bangka-Belitung Islands Province and also to Batam Island.